Some Teaneck HS pranksters may opt for trial, report says

TEANECK — A number of former Teaneck High School students charged in connection with a senior prank gone awry may try their luck at trial instead of taking a one-time "get out of jail free card," according to a Record report.

Lawyers for several of the teenagers charged with a disorderly persons have filed discovery motions, requesting more time to build a possible case, the paper reported.

Half of the 24 adults tried have accepted a plea bargain in which they must pay $158 in court fees and steer clear of legal trouble for six months in order to have the charge expunged from their record. The deal does not require that they perform community service.

In all, 63 teenagers were arrested in the early morning hours of May 1 after police from across the county responded to an active burglar alarm at the high school.

Authorities found chairs and desks overturned, petroleum jelly on doorknobs, hot dogs in lockers, graffiti scrawled on walls and evidence marijuana was smoked. Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli also said at least one student urinated on the floor, a claim school officials have denied.